damnlines for iPhoneLive lines & push alerts — freeGetdamnlines.comA walk-up, counter-service Texas-style smokehouse in Red Hook known for slow-smoked brisket and ribs, no reservations, a first-come-first-served line, and weekend live music.
454 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at Hometown Bar-B-Que yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
Hometown Bar-B-Que is a Texas-style smokehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn known for slow-smoked brisket, ribs and other barbecue served counter-service style. It draws a line largely because it takes no reservations and runs first-come-first-served walk-up service, a common recipe for a wait at destination BBQ spots.
Reported wait times swing widely depending on when you go: some diners describe waits as short as 10-15 minutes on quieter visits, while others report roughly an hour (and reportedly up to 90 minutes at the busiest points) on weekend afternoons. To make the wait more bearable, the restaurant has a bar and, on weekend nights, live music for people queued up or seated.
Reviewer guidance generally points to arriving right at the noon opening or visiting on a weekday for the shortest wait, while Friday-Saturday evenings and Saturday-Sunday midday appear to be the peak crunch times.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: No reservations - counter service. Per the venue's official site, Hometown Bar-B-Que offers "walk-up service to our counter on a first-come, first-served basis—until we sell out."
Walk-ins: Per the venue's site, all guests wait in line and order at the counter; the restaurant explicitly acknowledges the wait, encouraging guests to "chat with fellow diners, order drinks from the bar and listen to live music on weekend nights" while they wait. Service ends whenever the day's barbecue sells out.
Per the venue's site (Red Hook location): Sun, Tue-Thu noon-9pm; Fri-Sat noon-10pm; closed Mondays; service ends early if they sell out.
Reviewer reports vary widely: some describe waits as short as 10-15 minutes during quieter times, while others report roughly an hour on a busy Saturday midday and up to about 90 minutes at peak. It's walk-up, first-come-first-served with no reservations, so the line forms at the door. (No live damnlines camera here yet — this is reported guidance, not a live count.)
No. It's counter-service, first-come-first-served — you queue up, order at the counter, and find a seat once you have your tray.
Per its Yelp listing: closed Monday; Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday noon-9pm; Friday-Saturday noon-10pm. Always worth double-checking for holiday closures.
Reviewers suggest arriving right at opening (noon) or going on a weekday rather than weekend midday, when waits are reportedly at their longest.
454 Van Brunt St in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY 11231.
Yes, that's the only way in - per the venue's site it's classic barbecue-style walk-up service until the day's food sells out, and the restaurant leans into the wait with drinks and live music on weekend nights.
Sources: Yelp — Hometown Bar-B-Que (Red Hook, Brooklyn) · Hometown BBQ — official site · All The Things I Eat — "Eating At Hometown Bar-B-Que: Worth the Wait"